Looking for the program's first state tournament victory ever, Lincoln head coach Greg Harmon knew who to give the ball to.

And his junior pitcher Carter Hunter handled the rest.

Hunter pitched a complete game shutout, allowing just four baserunners and striking out 12 hitters in a dominant 9-0 Class 3A quarterfinal win over No. 4-seed Oklahoma Christian School.

Hunter overwhelmed the Saints, while Lincoln managed 15 baserunners and scored a run in every inning but the 6th.

"It was a huge day for our program and a milestone that we finally reached," said Harmon. "It was a significant breakthrough for us after a lot of time working towards this moment."

Six Lincoln batters had base hits and the Bulldogs worked seven walks on the Saints' top pitcher Hudson Abel, who was chased after allowing four earned runs in three innings.

"We really executed well today," said Harmon. "We had contributions from a bunch of different guys and had a lot of people step up in big-time moments."

That was more than enough for Hunter, who needed just 103 pitches, allowing two hits and two walks.

"He was exceptional," said Harmon. "He set the tone from the very beginning. He had command throughout the entire game."

Hunter was outstanding from the jump, striking out the Saints in order on just 10 pitches in the first inning.

"He was unhittable in the first inning and then just kept that going throughout the rest of the game," said Harmon.

Cozbey reached on an error after hitting a hard ground ball to short to open the bottom half for Lincoln.

Senior Carter Ricke walked to follow before sophomore Aiden Hendren laced an RBI-single to center to score Cozbey and make it 1-0.

Hunter hit the leadoff hitter in the second, but then got a ground ball that turned into a double play to quickly get two outs.

Hunter got a strikeout to end the inning before Lincoln struck offensively again.

Jax Crumbliss ripped a 1-out double to left before Silas Goff reached on an error, advancing courtesy runner Rhett Martin to third.

After Cole Dooley struck out, Martin scored on a wild pitch.

Then, Cozbey singled to center to score Goff, which was followed by another big hit from Ricke.

The senior hit one in the gap to center for a 2-out triple, as Cozbey raced around to score and make it 4-0.

"Chandler created pressure early and Carter and Aiden delivered in some big spots early on in the game," said Harmon. "Unlike last week at times against Kingston, we capitalized on scoring opportunities."

Hunter worked a three-up, three-down inning in the 3rd before Lincoln extended the lead in the fourth.

Dooley singled with two outs to score freshman Major Brooks, who opened the inning with a walk, making it 5-0.

Hunter saw three hitters and sat them all down in the 4th, striking out two hitters to start and end the inning.

"His ability to hit spots and change speeds effectively gave him and us a bunch of confidence," said Harmon. "He hasn't gotten the best run support at times this year, so him pitching with a big lead was huge for his confidence."

Cozbey opened the bottom of the fourth with a leadoff walk before Hendren laced a double to left, scoring the senior and making it 6-0.

Brooks reached on an error in the next at bat, allowing Hendren to come around and score to extend the margin to 7-0.

"Our bunting and execution at the plate, along with our ability to have quality and productive at bats with runners in scoring position was exactly what we needed to do in an environment like that today," said Harmon.

Hunter got a one pitch fly out to start the fifth before allowing his first hit of the game, a single to center.

After another strikeout to follow, OCS (24-8) had its best scoring opportunity of the day with a two-out single to put two runners on.

But Hunter did what he had done all day, overwhelmed the following hitter, as he needed just four pitches to blow away Grayson Stefansky to end the inning.

"His performance today is exactly why he is considered an all-state caliber pitcher," said Harmon. "He has built a reputation as a workhorse and is known for working deep into games. Today that was on full display."

Dooley and Cozbey walked with two outs to reach base for Lincoln in the bottom of the 5th before Ricke delivered again.

The senior ripped a double to left, scoring both and stretching the lead to 9-0.

Hunter worked around a leadoff walk in the sixth before slamming the door in the final inning, striking out the leadoff hitter and fanning Brock Johnson to end the game.

Cozbey was 1-for-2 but scored four runs and reached base three times.

Ricke was 2-for-3 with two extra base hits and three RBIs.

Hendren was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

Lincoln (33-6) will face top-seeded Marlow tomorrow at Norman North at 11 a.m. with a trip to the Class 3A state championship on the line.

"We are not done yet," said Harmon. "We want to continue to build off what we did today, maintaining the type of baseball we played and continue to be aggressive on the mound and at the plate like we were against OCS."

Lincoln has won 16 of its last 17 games.